Taking Chances
by ElegantButler
Summary: Tired of being manipulated by Network 23, Bryce decides to seek a new path in life and invites his counterpart at Network 66 to join him.
1. Trials and Smiles

CHAPTER ONE: Trials and Smiles

Rain beat against the narrow windows of Bryce's studio as he went over the events of Edison Carter's latest report in his mind. He wasn't thrilled with Edison at the moment. Cheviot's latest version of his contract was threadbare at best and didn't offer him a lot in the way of credits.

It was true that Bryce didn't have rental fees or other similar costs to pay, but did Cheviot really think he planned to spend his entire life living in his lab? With this thought distracting him, he decided that he'd had enough. He might not be allowed to jump to another network as he had planned, but that didn't mean he couldn't just quit.

"I really should talk this out with someone," he told himself. He tapped out the code for Jenny's studio at Network 66.

"Bryce," Jenny yawned. "It's really late. What sort of free advice are you seeking this time?"

"Well… I'm thinking of leaving Network 23," Bryce told her.

"Are you mad? Where on earth do you plan on going?"

"I don't know," Bryce admitted. "I'm just tired of being manipulated all the time. I think Cheviot believes that because I'm sixteen that I'm gullible or something. This new contract he made me sign is so insulting! Plus I'm not allowed to work for any existing network for the next ten years."

"What are you going to do for a living then if you leave Network 23? We were trained for Network service. We don't really know anything else."

"We could build our own network if we had the credits," Bryce confided. "But I think Cheviot suspected I might try that. He's not giving me much in terms of pocket money, so…"

"Well, I'd stay where I was for now, if I were you. At least until you find an alternate way to make enough credits to get out of there."

"I suppose you're right," Bryce sighed. "Thanks, Jenny."

"No problem, Bryce," Jenny said. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Sure," Bryce smiled. "Hey, are you doing anything after work tomorrow?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me on a date?"

"I'm not really sure I'd classify it as a date," Bryce said, cautiously. "But I thought we could just get together and head over to Big Time. Reg and Dom are holding a come-all party to celebrate being on air for three years."

"Sounds like fun," Jenny agreed. "What time are you picking me up?"

"The party's an all day event. But if you can manage to skip a day of work, how about at eleven AM?"

"I'll be ready," Jenny agreed.


	2. Appearances and Truth

CHAPTER TWO: Appearances and Truth

The next morning, Bryce slipped out of his studio and made his way toward Network 66. He was walking by one of Zik Zak's clothing stores when Edison Carter spotted him.

"Hey!" Edison called to him.

Bryce took off running. Exasperated, Edison gave chase. Unable to pursue the young genius in the company car he was driving, he got out and followed Bryce on foot. Bryce kept running, quickly scaling a chain link fence.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Edison admitted as he, too, scaled the fence and continued his pursuit. "Bryce! Wait!"

Bryce detoured down a narrow lane. By the time Edison got there, he'd vanished again and the reporter wasn't sure which of the side roads he'd taken.

"Max," he said to the nearest TV set.

"You rang?" Max drawled.

"Any idea where Bryce is going?"

Max traced Bryce's route. "Looks like Network 66."

"Damn him," Edison swore. "Thanks, Max."

Before Max could say anything more, Edison took off. Not in pursuit of Bryce, but to retrieve the company car. Bryce, as far as he was concerned, could wait. He wouldn't tell Cheviot that the young genius had turned on them. But he wouldn't cover up for Bryce when Cheviot found out either.

"Sorry I'm so late," Bryce panted when he got to Network 66 to find Jenny waiting impatiently outside.

"I was about to give up," she scolded. "Why are you so out of breath? You oversleep?"

"I had to escape Edison," Bryce explained, linking his arm with hers and gently leading her away. "Let's face it, nobody is going to understand this. They're obsessed with their war."

"I know, Bryce," Jenny agreed as they made their way toward the Fringes and Big Time TV

"Have you thought about what you're going to do after this?"

"Well, I'm not too bad at singing," Bryce confided.

"You? A singer? Go on!" Jenny laughed, gently.

"No, really," Bryce told her. "While I admit I'm no David Bowie, I think I'm just as good as any other modern pop star."

"Hardly a stellar recommendation," Jenny told him. "But go ahead. Sing something for me."

"Here? In the open?"

"If you take a career as a singer, sooner or later you'll have to sing in the open," Jenny told him. "You may as well do it now."

"What do I sing?"

"You're a genius. Make something up."

After a couple of false starts, Jenny politely refraining from laughing, Bryce finally began to sing in a soft baritone:

There is a battle that will never end

A conflict that cannot be won.

A war in a theater that's ever-changing

Arms and combatants rearranging.

We are the children who arm the soldiers

We are the young ones who bear the scars

Minds like swords, we are the heartbreakers

What will become of ours?

He fell silent as the last words left his lips.

"That was great," Jenny said. "Do you have an answer?"

"Not really," Bryce admitted. "I just sort of made it up off the cuff."

"I hope you remember it."

"I don't think I can forget it," Bryce told her. "But just in case, maybe we'd better both sing it this time."

"I can't…" Jenny protested.

"Please?" Bryce asked. "I'd love to hear you sing."

"Very well," Jenny agreed, and the two of them began to sing the unfinished song together as they made their way to Big Time.


	3. The Come-All Party

CHAPTER THREE: The Come-All Party

Bryce was a bit disappointed to see that neither Edison nor Theora had shown up at Reg's party. Thinking on it a bit, he realized that the reporter and his controller where probably working on an important assignment. He'd have to watch it on TV in his lab that night.

"Hi, Reg," he said, cheerfully talking loudly to be heard over the sounds of Twisted Sister's 'Burn in Hell'.

"Oh, hello there," Reg replied. "Girlfriend?"

"An old classmate of mine," Bryce told him.

"In other words," Jenny told Dom in a stage-whisper, "I'm working on it."

Bryce raised an eyebrow. "We'll talk about it later."

"Glad you could come," Dom told Jenny. "I hope things will work out for you two. Bryce is a good kid. But he needs someone his own age whom he can relate to."

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Jenny told Dom in turn. "Bryce is a really good singer. And not a bad lyricist either."

"Oh?" Dom turned to Bryce. "Is this true?"

"I'm okay," Bryce said. "Jenny's good, too."

"Why don't you give us a demonstration?" Dom asked.

Bryce and Jenny shrugged and began the song they'd been singing during the walk over:

'There is a battle that will never end

A conflict that cannot be won.

A war in a theater that's ever-changing

Arms and combatants rearranging.

We are the children who arm the soldiers

We are the young ones who bear the scars

Minds like swords, we are the heartbreakers

What will become of ours?'

Then Bryce continued:

'There is a conflict that's inside of me

A war between heart and mind

Perhaps the truth is right there in front of me

Or did I leave it behind?'

Inspired by Bryce, Jenny threw in her own lyrics:

'On the other side of the wire that surrounds me

You are the one I give my heart

There are no others you compare with

Now I won't this war tear us apart.'

Together they repeated the chorus:

We are the children who arm the soldiers

We are the young ones who bear the scars

Minds like swords, we are the heartbreakers

What will become of ours?'

When they finished, the rest of the party-goers broke into a spontaneous round of applause.


End file.
